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CNN Live Sunday

Pentagon Plans to Set Up Command to Coordinate Homeland Security

Aired January 27, 2002 - 17:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Military jets patrolling the skies and National Guard troops at the nation's airports have become familiar sights since September 11. Now, the Pentagon wants to set up a new command to coordinate these types of homeland defense missions. CNN's Kathleen Koch reports on how it would work and why some are concerned about the idea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are in the skies, patrolling the coasts, monitoring airports and border crossings. But these forces are currently commanded by different parts of the U.S. military, so the Pentagon is recommending for the first time that a four-star officer be appointed to coordinate military homeland defense deployments.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I'm going to be presenting the president with my proposals with respect to the unified command plan in the immediate future. And it will have a number of changes. It will also be a very good proposal.

KOCH: The new commander-in-chief or CINC will be responsible for North American security. Presently, other regional commanders-in- chief oversee operations in Europe, the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and South Asia.

The vice president says military coordination would be vital, especially in case of a chemical, biological or nuclear terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The military has got a lot of resources that would automatically be drawn upon were that kind of eventuality to occur, and having a command, a CINC, if you will, a commander-in-chief on a regional basis responsible for the U.S. I think makes sense.

KOCH: It's unclear in creating the new command where its responsibilities would begin and end, and how it will be structured.

MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: That's the big question, is do you, because you have a new CINC then, have to create a whole new bureaucracy underneath it, which is very, very expensive, or do you peel off pieces of existing CINCs. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SIEGE")

BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: I'm declaring a state of marshal law in the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: In the past, there were concerns that as in the movie "The Siege" such a move could lead to the curtailment of civil rights. Civil rights advocates now don't fear such extremes, as long as any military involvement has limits and is carefully monitored.

TIM EDGAR, LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL FOR ACLU: We don't oppose the creation of this commander, but we do think it's very important that those individual liberties be safeguarded, and the military traditionally does not have that role. It doesn't have the same role that the domestic police department does.

KOCH (on camera): And it won't in this case, since the new commander would reportedly manage traditionally military missions, and not routinely step into duties now handled by police and other emergency agencies.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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